A/N: Slighty mature content.

May

x x x

Her reflection stared back at her apprehensively from the large mirror, eyes soft amber brown in the lighting of the bathroom. The young woman before her wore a simple lavender nightgown with her dark hair falling past her shoulders in damp waves. She didn't look any different than usual, she thought, nor did she even feel all that different then she had the day before. Only one thing about her had altered, and yet that was certainly enough to cause her to stand there feeling glued to the spot.

She was married now. Sheena, once a shy little girl from a far off village, was now a bride.

Well, maybe she had only been one for a few hours, but her head was still reeling with the thought. She had remembered feeling this same nameless emotion when she had first been named successor of the leadership of Mizuho. It made her dizzy with excitement, and yet at the same time, her body held that similar sick sensation of the floor being pulled out from beneath her.

Was this…how she was supposed to feel?

There were doubts that had crossed her mind lately, doubts that ate away at her already precarious sense of self. Young marriages never lasted, they said. Hell, you don't even belong with him in the first place, they sneered back at her. Even if some of the people in Mizuho accepted her choice, there were just as many who were disgraced by the notion. And here, in the city…she'd be lucky if even a handful approved of her. Most Meltokians scorned her anyway, and with their beloved Chosen One giving her those adoring little puppy-dog looks of his, well, the result was simple arithmetic.

The summoner leaned against the sink heavily, running a brush through her hair a few more times. She couldn't get over the feeling of dread associated with all these new troubles. Maybe she would have been better off pushing him away, just forgetting about trying to make this whole thing work out.

In the mirror, she caught her reflection frowning at the thought as she paused in her preening. Did her uncertainty really make her that cruel? Over in the other room, probably half asleep by now, was a man who had known more tragedy and unhappiness in his life than she could even begin to imagine. Most of that sorrow he had kept buried in some secret part of himself, concealed even from her most of the time.

And here she was, thinking about throwing him to the wolves.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she flipped the light off, proceeding to the adjacent room to settle in for the night. She entered as quietly as possible, closing the door behind her with a soft click. For a moment, she wondered if he'd fallen asleep waiting for her. No, definitely not tonight, she corrected herself, laughing in her own mind.

"Mm, so there's my darling hunny. Didn't fall down the drain then after all, I take it?"

Zelos, unserious as ever, flashed her that enticing smile that never seemed to desert him. She rolled her eyes in good humor as she wiggled into bed beside him, tempted for a moment to deck him in the head with a pillow.

"Idiot…at least you and your 'curiosity toward the unknown' weren't peeking on me in the shower again," she shot back with a smirk of her own, leaning over to poke him on the nose.

He laughed cheerfully in return, and she noticed his clear blue eyes taking on that playfully teasing quality they had always had when the two of them were younger. Then, almost as quickly, his demeanor became far more earnest. "Well, you're not still mad about that, are you? I mean, you're here with me now and all…"

Caught slightly off guard, Sheena raised an eyebrow at him. Sometimes she couldn't keep track of whether he was serious or still hiding behind his flirtatiousness. She was guessing it was a bit of both at the moment, with him so plainly caught up in excitement and a touch of anxiousness. For her it was the same, but mixed with a definite overtone of apprehension.

"Of course I'm not mad…you're just always so…what's the word?" She paused, watching his face turn slightly on edge as she deliberated. That turned to confusion as she cuddled up against him, and quickly to sheer delight as she placed a soft kiss on his neck. "…You know how to push my buttons, I guess? It used to get to me, but now I think it's pretty clever of you."

"Heh, well, that's nice to hear. I never did get why you always got so mad about all the little stuff. You just never figured it out, I s'pose…that you needed to lighten up a bit."

"Hm. I guess so." She smiled, running her fingers gently over his bare chest. He was right, she supposed. For the longest time, she hated the way he would play around with her. Even still she felt somewhat justified in how she had reacted; after all, he never let on his true intentions. Such a skilled deceiver he was, she could hardly tell if he was her friend, simply trying to push his luck with her, or if he truly was a philandering pervert who wanted only to use her and her feelings.

The silence absorbed them for a while, their small talk dissolving into their more primal desires. Zelos had put his arms around her as well, breathing in the scent of her hair as she gently nuzzled his neck. They were the best of friends, but without a doubt, there was always more than that lingering just under the surface.

"Um…" She looked up into his eyes, appearing a little dubious. "I know I told you already, but I'm going back to Mizuho tomorrow. I've been here a few weeks after all…you know I left them for as long as I could so we could have this time together. But I think it's only right that I return for a while, just to ensure things are going smoothly as usual."

The former Chosen didn't show any signs of disapproval, but she sensed his disappointment at the reminder. She knew he had business as usual to attend to as well; his frivolous duties as Chosen had been replaced with a wide variety of obligations as a diplomat and a peacekeeper.

"Yup, you told me. But I was pretending you didn't really mean it, honestly," he added, a very real grin taking over his face as she reached up and put her arms around his neck. "It's okay, though. We have tonight…and that should be enough for now."

Sheena reflected his smile, her golden brown eyes brightening along with her expression. He thought perhaps he'd imagined it, but there seemed to be something inexplicably sultry about her face, something that he had seen only a few times before. There was no more mistrust, or hurt, or betrayal. She looked beautiful that way, with her dark hair flowing over her shoulders like that.

Maybe, finally, she was letting him love her. Behind all of the walls she put up to protect herself, there she was, showing him a real smile.

He felt her shiver briefly, freeing one hand from around him to pull up the blankets. "Did you leave the window open or something?" she scolded, once again in her banshee voice. "I'm freezing, it's too far into spring for it to be this cold…"

"Nope, but…" Wearing that obnoxious smirk once again, Zelos let his hands wander down her back. "There're other ways to get warm. Shall I assist you, m'dear?"

"Ugh, Zelos, I was being serious," she scoffed back with a sigh, although he noticed she wasn't protesting either.

Still that same mischievous look, but quickly growing more sincere. "Really, I wasn't kidding about that this time, sweetheart."

Her eyes wandered up to his again, and this time she fell prey to that charming, untouchable grin he was wearing. She really couldn't deny that he was enticing to her without the need of many words, just those convincing blue eyes and the soft wavy curl that ran through his hair. Most of all was that ever-so-slightly sheepish smile, just like when he was younger.

When he caught her smiling back, he took the chance to press his lips to hers in reply. She only paused a moment before returning the kiss, pushing her body closer against his as he continued to encircle her with his embrace. He caressed her face with one hand as they deepened the gesture, warmth traveling between them as she nestled her fingers in his long red locks.

For a few seconds, the whole exchange felt surreal to her, almost as if she were watching it happen through someone else's eyes. They had instinctively begun ridding themselves of their already light amount of clothing, becoming desperate as their kiss grew more intimate.

And right on cue, Zelos forced the moment to its crisis, finding himself unable to both get off her nightgown and continue their kiss. He was half ready to rip it clean off of her until she broke from him for a moment, just long enough for her to have a good laugh at the interruption.

"Oh, look at the great Zelos Wilder now," she sputtered through another short laugh, tugging firmly on a loose strand of his hair. "Your virginity is showing. What would your fans think of you, hm? Should I alert the tabloids? Wouldn't that make a great article?"

He glared daggers into her, a very faint red crossing his face. "Yeah, yeah, it's hilarious. You already knew about…that anyway, don't go laughing at me over it now," he shot back, a devious smile still showing through despite his injured pride. "Plus, it's not my fault your wardrobe is uncooperative."

"Hey, don't get all ruffled. You deserve the teasing, you know." The dark haired girl leaned in toward him again, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips before tugging her nightgown up over her head. She blushed a deep shade of crimson when their eyes met afterward, trying to cover herself up with the sheets, but he quickly stopped her.

"Whoa, wait a second." The former Chosen pressed himself against her again, holding her almost-bare form close to his. "You don't have to hide, hunny. You're gorgeous, so don't start getting all embarrassed on me now."

Still blushing, Sheena gradually relaxed her body against him. She couldn't help but let a gasp of surprise escape her when his hands wandered over her naked chest, but it melted into a series of soft, delighted sighs as he tenderly massaged the supple area. Their lips found each other in another warm kiss, his then trailing down her neck and shoulders in a heated blaze of excitement. Her quiet sounds of approval fed his passion, only increasing as he kissed down from the side of her pale throat to her collarbone. Her petite form shivered as he let his tongue briefly brush against her neck, her nails dragging along his back in desire.

They were quick to discard the few remaining bits of clothes, returning their arms around each other to share the warmth of the moment. Time seemed to melt away and vanish altogether, their marriage consummated in a blur of passion and soft whispers of each other's names. Sheena could only sigh in satisfaction from the high she was left with, and looking over at her lover beside her, saw that he seemed to be permanently afflicted with a smile.

"Hey," she nudged him gently, working her way back into his arms. "I…love you." Not entirely to her surprise, Zelos was already practically asleep after what was definitely one of the greatest moments of his life. Hearing those words, he perked up a little, his intense blue eyes full of a simple kind of happiness.

"Don't leave in the morning," he mumbled, nuzzling into her neck as he nodded back off, "without saying goodbye, okay?"

"Ha, of course I won't..." she whispered, breathing in the familiar scent of his hair as she fell asleep. She was too content to care anymore what anyone thought of them. Just the way she felt when she looked upon him, well…that was surely a gift from Verius himself. It wouldn't do to waste that.

Her answer put a carefree smile back on his face, and he kissed her forehead one last time in a sleepy sign of affection. "That's good…'cause I want your face to be the first thing I see when I wake up."

A/N: Whoamygod, writing that made me sweat like a whore in church! XD But that aside, I actually like it. It's sweet, and it doesn't make me pour battery acid into my eye sockets. See, I done it, I made a fluffy intimate piece. It's completely possible. But um...review nicely. I already was awkward about it but I had several of you say I should do it some time, so I did. The end. Now those of you who are kinda inclined to tease me, be nice about this, like I said it was awkward but needed to be done.

Love you guys (I think! XD),

-FP